small doses

Things I Eat

2011-09-12T22:52:00.001-07:00

If you know me, or have even seen a picture of me, you know that I love food and especially love eating it. The past couple of days I have been fortunate enough to have participated in great eating.

The first picture is of Homemade Lasagna that made. It was quite tasty and I will definitely be having the leftovers. The second picture is of Coconut Cupcakes that my mom so carefully prepared. They are so soft and the frosting is perfectly creamy. I do live a good life. If I could make the pictures scratch and sniff, I would. You'll just have to make due with looking at the pictures for now.

Personal Statement

2011-09-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

We all face "the unknown" in some form each day. While having a plan or schedule is a wonderful idea, the unexpected is almost always and should be expected. Simply put, life happens, with or without our consent. This does not mean however that we have absolutely no say in the matter. We do have some control over certain aspects of daily life. I have learned that an individual's attitude is a very individual choice.

As intelligent beings, the ability to choose our attitude is a major responsibility; one that determines our level of joy or sadness. I have decided that one way to enhance the joy I feel is to have a personal statement on life. Something that is simple, yet profound; full of individual meaning that has a positive and edifying effect on others. Basically, a personal statement will help an individual focus on what truly matters to them, in all types of situations. My personal statement is as follows:

Be honest with and kind to others. Be honest with and kind to myself.

No matter the circumstance, I want to always treat people kind and be honest with them. I have crafted this personal statement after much thought and consideration. I am an honest person and want to continue to be completely honest with myself and others. I know that I can improve on being genuinely nice and respectful to those people with which I interact. This is my new goal. My hope is that others will feel they are truly loved and cared about, no matter the circumstance they are in. I encourage each of us to create a personal statement that will carry with us forever and uplift those around us.

Song of the Heart, Song of the Righteous

2011-08-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, singing hymns is a regular and integral part of worship services and church meetings. During each LDS sacrament meeting, an opening and closing hymn is sung, and every now and then an intermediate hymn is included in the service.

In a revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord instructed the prophet's wife Emma. He said, "And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church. For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."

In recent weeks during sacrament meeting, while singing the hymns, I have felt that this promise has come true, and I have been given many blessings upon my head.

First came from the well known hymn Come, Come, Ye Saints. William Clayton wrote this hymn after much affliction in his own life. The words of the second verse really touched me and were much needed at this point in my life. They read:

Why should we mourn?
Or think our lot is hard?
Tis not so, all is bright
Why we think to earn a great reward?
If we now shun the fight
Gird up your loins
Fresh courage take
Our god will never us forsake
And soon we'll have this tale to tell
All is well! All is well!

I came to know and understand better that I have absolutely no reason to be down or sad because of what's going on in my life. Sure, every situation may not go perfectly, but that rarely happens. I have been extremely blessed in my life and need to be happy and optimistic in all circumstances, even when times seem gloomy.

The next hymn that lifted me is called Reverently and Meekly Now. The fourth verse in this hymn provides these solemn words:

At the throne I intercede;
For thee ever do I plead.
I have loved thee as thy friend,
With a love that cannot end.
Be obedient, I implore,
Prayerful, watchful evermore,
And be constant unto me,
That thy Savior I may be.

The line that stood out to me is the second to last. Being constant unto the Lord can be difficult. Constancy is an attribute that I need to develop more and singing and listening to these words encouraged me to do so.

May those of us who sing or listen to any type of religious song of praise search deeply into the words so that we may give proper praise to the Lord and receive the blessings that He has in store for us.

Some Mobile Pics...

2011-07-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

People relate to pictures. Okay, that may or may not be true, but I do know that people enjoy looking at pictures. What you are about to witness are pictures I have taken with my phone, a Droid X. They are by no means professional. Nonetheless, they could all be published if I wanted. Anyways, enjoy...

Graduation Picture

I ALWAYS prefer it saucy...

Just something I do

These guys are my friends (most of the time)

Mary (She'll kill me if she sees this. Love you Mary!)

I took this

Mikell (She will also kill me if she sees this. Oops)

Gasworks Park in Seattle. Ashley, Heidi, Madison

My new BFF, Mr. Penguin

Madison at her first Mariners game! (She now HATES the Cardinals)

Artistic Photography, I think anyways

Curtis Layne Pollard II

My new favorite thing

Ballard Locks. One of my favorite places to visit in Seattle

This is "soap" that some dudes were making in their pantry. We stayed at their apartment in Seattle

Lessons Learned

2011-07-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

Since being home, I have come to the realization that I do miss many aspects of Provo. This is not meant to take away from what my mother and father do for me; I do love being at home. I have noticed that almost all of my friends are located in Provo or the close vicinity. I am grateful for them and for the relationships I formed with them. Here at home I have not made that many friends. I notice how much I miss my Provo friends when I am out on my back deck making smores all by myself.

Despite missing my friends and the time they consume in my life (which is a great thing, even though it may be phrased as if it were a bad thing), I learned a great and necessary lesson from one of my old-time Provo friends. She counseled me to be involved and to look how to help and serve others, and think less about myself. This is not new advice to me. My being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taught me that being idle is not smart or wise. I have been instructed to actively participate in wholesome activities. I just needed the reiteration from my friend. I have decided now to become more involved in church activities and helping in any way I can along with volunteering at a place that sounds appealing and interesting to me. Lastly, I have decided to think about and serve my close family members here more. I won't spend the day participating in useless activities, but I will do think of how I can help others, especially my family.

One last note, I have successfully not partaken of a single soda beverage since my last post about quitting. It has not been easy, but has been worth it.

One final last note, I decided to start playing tennis. My father graciously purchased me a racket and I plan or becoming as good as Roger Federer (when he was in his prime, of course).

Bye Bye Bye

2011-06-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am finally yet sadly and with mourning saying goodbye. After probably 20 years, I will no longer see my one closest and most intimate friends. Someone who has always been right by my side through both the best of times and the worst of times. I strongly believe that this loving and selfless friend was even a part of my life before I was born.

After much contemplation and many restless nights I have decided to part ways with my longtime friend, Coca Cola. Not only am I parting ways with Coke, but I am saying farewell to each and every soda and pop (I used both to satisfy the needs of my readers). Coming to the conclusion that carbonated beverages should not be a part of my life was the hardest decision I have ever made; and I've made a lot of tough decisions. I feel deep down in the core of my heart that completely cutting myself off from pop will serve me well in the end. Some may say this is a selfish move on my part; and to be completely honest, it is. This is what I need though right now in my life to become the best person I possibly can.

This is my public vow, and with it I make my very own personal vow, to never again drink soda (or pop) ever again. My hope is that if any of my readers happen to see me in public, they will remind me of my goal and help me to abstain from the evil dangers of pop.

The Provo Years

2011-06-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

The time has come. After three years and six months, I am permanently leaving Provo to reside in another state for an extended period of time. Certainly I have been back home since that cold winter in early 2008, but I didn't live away from Provo for more than a summer. Suffice it (even though it really doesn't) to say that the past three and a half years have been filled with great joy, happiness, excitement, adventure, loss, sorrow, and pain. I was blessed to have met some of the greatest people I know, and am lucky to call them my friends. As I reminisce and stroll down memory lane, remember I am not able to recall every story or incident. I apologize for those who I do not publicly recognize in this blog post. For all of you who I have come to know during my time here in Provo, I make it known that I do love you and appreciate your friendship. I have learned so much because of my association with each of you and am a better person because of what you have all taught me. So here we go...

First I would like to thank my father, Dallas (some of you may know him by Dal-ass). He drove down to Provo with my in the first week of January and helped move in my belongings to Glenwood early one Saturday morning.

Winston Wilkinson was my very first college roommate. And I could not have asked for or hand picked a better one. We had a lot of funny moments together with the rest of our gang. Aside from these joyous times, I learned about hard work and dedication. Winston not only put in much time and effort to is Track and Field events, but he also was a wonderful student and served faithfully in Ohio on his mission.

Another one of my first roommates is a man by the name of Dan. Dan Klinger to be exact. This man has helped me through so much; both happy and sad moments of my life. He traveled to Spokane with me one November day and spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. He, along with my grandpa ate all of the Girl Scout Thin Mint Ice Cream, and left me none. That is how he formed a bond with my grandfather. I am grateful to Dan for his diligence in always persevering, despite difficult circumstances.

I would like to give a shout out to my boss for over three years, Linda Shirley. I was fortunate enough to land a job at Brigham Young University's Testing Center. During those years I had many growth building experiences and learned about dedication and persistence from Linda. I am also grateful for the many coworkers I worked alongside throughout the years. I had a blast working together as well as horsing around with my fellow students. I made many friends that I hope to keep in contact with throughout the years and hopefully return and see one day. I handed out over 40,000 exams during my time as a testing specialist. I saw many faces and read many names. I will always have a place in my heart for the BYU Testing Center and the values it instilled in me.

The Provo Years also consisted of much food and gluttony. Many hours were spent at my favorite restaurant, Tucanos. I also enjoyed Cafe Rio, J-dawgs, Taco Bell in the BYU cafeteria (where I spent many of my dollars), Red Robin, and many others that I cannot think of at this moment. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy eating at these fine establishments, but I more importantly spent quality time with quality people. I am thankful for the friends that accompanied me to experience the fine dining of Provo. I will most greatly miss my favorite little Chilean restaurant, Pantrucas. Margarita and Ricardo always greeted me with a genuine smile and made the delicious food of Chile in a city so far away. Lastly, I will deeply miss the Maceys Kong Cones. I developed a friendship with the young man who works behind the counter and so meticulously creates my Kong Cone, swirl, with no cup, each and every time. I will miss the food in Provo.

I was fortunate to have my brother, Jason, along with his wife, Kayla, living here for a my first year in Provo. They really took me in. Literally. I used their washer and dryer almost religiously every other Saturday. They graciously allowed me to use their restroom whenever I visited. I ate numerous meals they prepared and enjoyed their company. Kayla introduced me to the TV series, "The Hills" which I consistently watched for two and a half seasons. Then I realized it was garbage. (Note to reader: don't take two and a half seasons of a TV series to figure out it's garbage). I am extremely grateful to Jason and Kayla for being so willing to help me when I was new and did not know always what to do.

I know I am getting into dangerous territory now. I am going to attempt to list off the names of people for whom I am grateful. Actually, I am not going to play this game. The list would be too long and I would leave too many people off, unintentionally of course. Just know, to all those who read this and for the few that don't, thank you. Thank you for your time to get to know me and spend time with me and share your talents and gifts with me. I am a better person because of the associations I have formed with you. I know I am not the nicest or easiest to get along with, and in most cases I am the most annoying (my mom would agree with me) and thoughtless person you've met. But I have left Provo a better person than was, because of each of you.

Finally, I started out by thanking and recognizing my father for his help in moving me here. Even though my mother did not make the initial journey to Provo when I first came, she has been my biggest (not literally) and best supporter, along with my dad. She has been there to give me timely advice, to knock much needed sense into my brain, to feed me when she came and visited, and even when she didn't, listen to my complaints, and be there to congratulate me when I finally graduated. Thank you mom, I love you and could not have become who I am and accomplished what I have without you.

Provo, it has been a wild ride. Thank you for the past three and a half years and you will always remain in my mind and my heart. Thank you again, my wonderful friends, for always being there for me. The scriptures teaches us that a man hath no greater love than laying his life down for his friends. I am thankful for all of you who have laid down your life on my behalf and spent your time with me. I am willing to lay down my life and do whatever any of you needs. Thank you again. I hope to see you again one day.

Falling...

2011-05-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

This past week one of my good friends went rock climbing, something I am still (even as a 25 year old) scared to try. This aforementioned friend tried to jump down just a few inches to land on a proper foot placing. She made it, but slipped and went tumbling, falling to the ground. This incident caused me to reflect on life and the concept of falling.

All of us fall, in one manner or another. For my friend, it was a literal, physical fall. As I have contemplated the recent events in my life, I have come to realize how I have fallen so to speak. The last month has not been my finest or most shining month. My fall was more of an emotional fall, where I suffered pain. I am not looking for a pity party; I am simply writing my feelings. Luckily for me, and hopefully now for some of you, not only did I learn and reflect upon falling, but I learned from my friend how to optimistically get back up. This friend is so anti-pessimistic that I have noticed and learned that it is the best way to react from a fall. Even though I have fallen, and it has felt like a long fall, I know that I can make the best of the situation. Wounds will heal and tears will dry. Hopefully, I will choose to have a smile remain on my face.

For me, recuperating from my fall consists of increased kindness and love toward my fellow man (and woman). I am grateful for this lesson on falling and how I must choose to get up and heal.

A New Chapter

2011-05-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

I have seriously neglected my writing duties, and sincerely apologize to all of my fans and followers. You deserve a more dedicated and consistent writer. I am committing to regularly writing on this blog, updating you all with my life, as well as with inspirational stories and messages that will hopefully enhance your life. So, let this new chapter begin...

On April 21, 2011 I, Jesse Edward (as in Edward from Twilight) Croskrey, graduated from Brigham Young University with my degree in psychology. I know what you're all thinking: Is he psychoanalyzing me? Yes, I am. Also, I know what else you guys thinking: How is Jesse such a poor writer for having just graduated from a respectable university? I do not know a specific answer to this question. Maybe I failed to read well enough during my college years? Perhaps my teachers lied to me, saying my writing was excellent when in reality, it really sucked? I will never know the answer to this question, and quite frankly, it's beside the point. What is important, for you and for me, is that I am writing again, and you are able to keep up with my life. So, without further adieu, I will fill you in on what's occurred since I last blogged, which was in December.

In January, I started my last semester as a BYU student. I took 12 credits, four classes. They were all enjoyable and manageable. I had never taken this few of credits, but because each was a 3 credit class, they kept me busy. I wish I could say I started exercising with more time on my hands. Being my last semester of school, it also means it was my last semester of working on campus at the testing center. I will miss that place. It was a wonderful home to me for the past three years. I learned a lot, and met many wonderful people that have come to be some of my closest friends. I am grateful to have worked at a fine establishment and to have associated with such high class individuals. I will dearly miss them and hope to keep in contact with them. I would like to give a shout out to my boss, Linda. She led by example of how a person ought to work; with dedication.

This past semester I became an uncle for the first time in my life. My brother Jason and sister-in-law Kayla had a precious little girl, Kenzie Mae Croskrey. She is so beautiful and perfect. I still have not met her but will in a month or so. If any of you feel so inclined, you may call me Uncle Jesse.

This last semester provided me many wonderful and fun opportunities as well as some trials and struggles. I have figured that through the thick and the thin, I ultimately can choose my attitude and how I act and react to all situations. I know that I am not perfect; I am very far from it in fact. I do not always make the right decision, say the right words, or act in the proper fashion. I know I need to become a better person. This is my hope and my goal as I have graduated and am starting this new chapter of my life.

The True Spirit of Christmas

2010-12-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

It has been said that the true spirit of Christmas is in giving to others. To whom do we give? Perhaps to family or friends. Maybe to strangers in need. The boy in the song The Little Drummer Boy gives us the perfect example; we should give to Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. The small boy witnessed others honoring the King by giving him their finest gifts. The poor boy knew he could not offer the King a gift as valuable as others had. What he could offer baby Jesus was to play a song on his drum. Mary approved and he played is very best. Even though he only had his talent of drumming to give the Savior, he still played his absolute best. His efforts were appreciated by the baby Jesus as he smiled at the boy and his drum. This story provides a great blueprint for what we can give the Savior.

Everyone lives under different circumstances. We may not be blessed monetarily, but each of us has something to offer him who has given us so much. As I contemplate about what I could give the Savior, I think about my time and how effectively I manage it. Using my time to become a better disciple of Christ is a gift I could give him this Christmas. Time seems to be a commodity that we all want more of. I feel that we do not need more time, we just need to manage it better. Some questions I ask myself about my time management include:

-Am I magnifying the talents he has given me by helping others?

-Am I wasting time by watching TV or playing video games, neglecting the needs of those around me?

-Am I learning more about Jesus and his teachings by regularly studying from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and teachings of the living prophets?

-Am I applying the teachings I have studied in my life?

-Am I showing the love the Savior has for me to my family members and friends?

My gift for the Savior this holiday season and throughout the New Year is to manage my time more effectively and use it to become more Christlike. May we all take the time to give whatever we can to the Savior this year. And like the little drummer boy, may we give our absolute best to him who has given us his the ultimate gift, even that of his life.

Like father, like son

2010-11-16T07:32:00.000-08:00

I found myself in the library bright and early (okay only 10:00am) last Saturday morning. Homework was calling my name and even though it is “home”work, I could not focus at home, so the school library would have sufficed. As I arrived, my younger brother Jeff was sitting at a table in the area where I typically go to study. I decided to join him. There is nothing cuter than two brothers studying together, right? We even took a lunch break, and ate at Taco Bell, where I enjoyed three fresco soft tacos.

When I study, I tend to take many breaks, to give my eyes a rest from all the hard concentration I have put them through. As I was walking back from one of these breaks, I noticed a middle-aged man sitting at a table with a young, blonde haired boy next to him. The man, I am assuming was this boys’ father. The father was reading a book, and his son was also reading. Walking past them, I saw the boy look up to his father, grab him around the neck, and share with his father something from his book. The father took the time away from his own reading to acknowledge the son and listen to what he had to say.

This moment brought a few thoughts to my mind. First, our Heavenly Father, who loves us so much, cares about us deeply and is concerned with whatever is going on in our lives. Like the father at the Library, our Heavenly Father is willing to acknowledge and listen to us whenever we desire. It is our responsibility to take the time to talk with him. It also reminded me of my own father. If my dad were to read this he would say something like, "I never took any time for you, why are you writing this crap?" My dad is awesome, and although nobody is perfect, there are many times my dad was there to take time and listen to me. I am not the best at communicating how I am feeling or what I am going through, but my dad is willing to listen. I remember one day back in high school where my dad took me to McDonalds just to talk and see how I was doing. It meant a lot to me, not only the food, but the thoughtfulness of my own father.

May we, whether we be fathers, mothers, sons, or daughters, take the time to listen or talk, and share how we feel with one other. May we express our concerns and sadness, along with our joys and happiness. If we do, we will experience more joy and fulfillment in these sacred relationships.

Seattle Food

2010-05-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

If you know me, or think that you know me, you know that food and I are best friends. Every since I can remember, food and I have been inseparably connected (I even have pictures to prove it). Since arriving in Seattle, new food opportunities have been made available to me, and I have taken those opportunities. I will give you a little taste of my Seattle food experience.

My first day in Seattle was memorable, for a few reasons. First, my parents drove me here and dropped me off, which was unique considering most of the other interns just drove or flew. Secondly, my aunt Kim and uncle Greg live here, so I have family that is not too far away. After getting settled into my apartment, my parents and I headed for downtown Seattle to meet up with aunt Kim for lunch. She works in the heart of downtown, and decided to meet her near where she works. After parking and paying, we headed to where we decided to meet. Kim then took us to this restaurant, Made On Demand (MOD). It is a pizza place that makes small pizzas, enough for one person. What makes this place unique, is that the crust is extremely thin and you can order it with whatever toppings you desire. It was amazing. I recommend it to anyone that visits Seattle.

Food at baseball games is overpriced, some would even call it steep. I justify spending six dollars at a Mariners game for their garlic fries. These aren't just any garlic fries, they are the worlds greatest. They are not too soft or too hard, and are smothered in real garlic. They go down wonderfully, and come out the same way, if you know what I mean. Every time I attend a game at Safeco Field, I get myself these mouth-watering, breath ruining garlic fries.

The family is essential to the growth and development of children. Food in my family, especially homemade food, has helped me become the person I am. My brothers came into town recently, and to my surprise (okay not really cause I knew what was coming), they brought me an entire pan of my moms homemade gorilla poops (no bake cookies). Words cannot adequately express or describe the taste these cookies make when they make contact with your taste buds. I love them. My brothers in I were fortunate enough to go to a Chinese Restaurant while they were here. I had been told the food at the Snappy Dragon was exceptional, but could not believe until I had tasted. As we contemplated on what to order, and finally reached a decision, we waited no time for our homemade chow-mien, amazing fried rice, steamed rice, mongolian beef, pineapple chicken, as well as a few other items I cannot recall at the moment. I love family. I love food.

For those of you Cafe Rio fans out there, I apologize for what I am about to write, but must include it. I finally went to the restaurant called Chipotle after being told it was better than my friend, Cafe Rio. I can confidently proclaim that it is NOT better! I went with my bosses, Rachel and Diane (aka Dachel) and ordered a pork burrito. Multiple people told me varying opinions about this place, and I did not know who to believe. I do believe myself, and although Chipotle was good, it was not amazing in any way, but I embraced the time I had to go and try it.

Most recently, the Flourishing Families group here in Seattle decided take a day and take the ferry and go to Bainbridge Island and enjoy a beautiful afternoon together. Riding the ferry was a great experience together, but I will not lie, I was mainly looking forward to the food that I was promised we would enjoy. It did not disappoint. Our main boss, Dr. Day, bought six pizzas from a Bainbridge local pizza place. It was tasty. I Thoroughly welcomed four large slices of pizza, as I would anywhere, any day. After eating and playing games, including baseball, football, frisbee, soccer, as well as the classic simon says, we made our way back to the fair. I had heard whisperings from some of the group members about a fudge shop. I did not know if this was a secret club between these select individuals, but I followed them, until I walked into the doors of one of the greatest smelling fudge shops ever. I eagerly made my way to the front, as I knew immediately what kind of fudge I wanted as soon as I saw the different selections. I looked in the display glass, only to have the Snicker fudge staring me back, directly in the face. Without hesitation, I ordered a half pound. It was so good, and since I was feeling nice that day, I even shared some with my friends.

Lastly, most people would consider eating too much of something a weakness. I, my friends, wouldn't dare call that weakness. In fact, it is a great strength in my eyes. I love and cannot get enough of pizza. My good friend Megan, had the ingenious idea of making pizza. We went to Fred Meyer, bought all of the ingredients, then headed home to preheat the oven. We made four different pizzas. Barbecue chicken, canadian bacon and pineapple, pepperoni, and cheese. Thanks to Megan and the help of others, the pizza turned out amazing. Then, dessert. My friend Heidi, made cookie dough (without an electric mixer mind you), and we put it on a cookie sheet and slid it into the oven. After taking it out without baking it until it was done, we dumped an entire carton of vanilla ice cream on top. The pan then went on the floor, as did all of us with spoons in our hands, and we went to town. It was the most amazing night of my life. Food is what makes life worth living.

pictures... finally

2010-05-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well folks, wait no more. Pictures are here. I have selected some pictures, some recent, some more distant, that I thought you, my faithful followers, would enjoy. Thanks for being patient!

Curtis, Me, Will, at the gum wall

Me, Megan, Didi, and Maren at the Mariners game

Curtis, Will, and I at the Mariners game

Corey and I at the beach!

Finer Things Friday: Edward, Gail, and Edwin

Megan's Birthday Surprise Party!

Conference Puzzle!

Pat, after getting his mission call

Pirate Island Pizza!

Us with Grandma Merry

Reunited at last!

Seattle, Part 1

2010-05-10T23:55:00.000-07:00

This summer I have been given a wonderful opportunity to work with a professor from Brigham Young University (BYU) on a research project he started. It is called the Flourishing Families Project. The website is flourishingfamilies.byu.edu. Dr. Day is the developer of the research. I found out about this project through a friend at school. I applied, completed a group interview, then an individual interview. I was then selected to be a member of the project in the Seattle area. Last Winter Semester, I completed a course with all the other interns, which prepared us for the internship. I learned a lot in the class, and on April 27, 2010, I began the journey of the summer in Seattle.

The first week was pretty chill, and kind of nice and relaxing after finishing another semester at BYU. The first few days we got settled into out apartments and set up the office. My first Friday here, my uncle Lloyd was in town for business. We met up and went to the Mariners game, the game where Mariners ace, Cliff Lee, made his Mariner debut. He pitched well, but sadly, we lost in extra innings after having a couple of solid opportunities to win it. The very next week, I went with 13 other people from the Flourishing Families group to a game against the Angels. Once again, the game went into extra innings, and once again, the Mariners lost. I am bad luck.

I have been fortunate enough to have participated in a handful of activities other than Mariners games. I have played volleyball, had a BBQ outside, where we grilled chicken, hot dogs, veggies, and pineapple. I have walked the streets of downtown Seattle, both by myself and with a group of friends. I have become a regular at Seattle's famous Pike Place Market. I went to a large cathedral and watched a Gregorian chant. I attended the Seattle Temple. I ate fish n' chips on the pier. And most recently I went over to my aunt and uncle's (Kim and Greg) house to enjoy a very fine meal of carne asada, prepared by a Greg, a true chef. I have been a very fortunate man.

Work has been picking up, we go to people's homes almost everyday and then have office work to attend to. I am loving my fellow group members. Each one is so unique and cool in their own way. My partner, Maren, is really cool. She is engaged so she has a lot on her plate. We drive to and from our appointments with the top down in her VW Bug, and I enjoy rocking out to a good song as we coast along the road. My roommates are all cool and we get along. I am happy with being here and for the opportunity to work on this project.

I will keep this thing updated more often, thanks for being patient with me!

Pre-Home

2010-04-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

It has been said that home is where the heart is. For me, home is where the food is. On Thursday, I made my trip home from school as the semester recently ended. Before embarking on the journey that would lead me to sweet home-cooking, I have a few end of the semester memories I would like to write about.

The weekend of pranks first comes to mind. My friend Dallas and I were eager to have fun one evening. Silly string normally brings fun into any situation. We made our way to the store and got ourselves some silly string. Next, we decided on a victim. We have a friend, we will call her Nikki, because that is her name. She was sitting in her apartment. We violently burst open the door and attacked her with the silly string. She hastily rain, in vain, in attempt to escape. She failed. Sadly, when the cans ran out of juice, our fun, and prank, ended. We wisely bought four cans, two for each of us, so we pulled this same prank a week later, on Nikki's roommate, Ashley. She ended up more mad from the prank, but it was still fun. Next came the bed prank. A friend, TJ, is one of the smartest people I know. His roommates enjoy pranking him whenever he is out of town. One evening, I was hanging out with my friends Dallas and Angela (no, not my parents). We went over to our friend Adam's apartment. He informed us that TJ was out watching a movie and would not be back until after midnight. This was the perfect opportunity to do something to him. I suggested moving his entire bed out into the hallway. We moved everything; the mattress, the box spring, the frame, and the blocks the frame was sitting on. We sat on the bed and took some pictures, then went inside, waiting for him to arrive. When he walked in the door, he had a pissed off look on his face. He was not happy at all. He shook his head in disgust and said that it wasn't funny. He then went to his room, got something, and left. I was laughing my head off. A couple of pranks I tried went wrong, but those will be saved for another time.

Food. Living in Provo has its advantages. Some restaurants in the Provo area are close to my heart and stomach. Tucanos is one of them. My brother Pat had a buy one meal get one free for his birthday. So I treated him and my friend Dan came along as well. We went for dinner and it was divine. The garlic sirloin was exceptional and the teryaki beef was mouth-watering. At the very end I finished with seven pieces of grilled pineapple, a perfect way to end the evening. Steak and mashed potatoes is a meal fit for a true American. My friend Adam and I decided to make this meal a reality for us. We bought some steaks and I baked the potatoes. These potatoes though are not the typical baked potatoes. Before wrapping them in foil, I rubbed them with a little bit of oil and then put Montreal Steak Seasoning on the potato. This not only makes the kitchen smell heavenly, but activates the taste buds in a good way. One of Adam's buddies, and now my friend, Jason, joined us, as did our friend Angela. After cooking up the steaks on the grill and eating them, I was prepared for a good nights rest.

Many more memories were made, including a goodbye fit for a king, thrown by my friends, Dallas, Angela, and Ashley. Dallas made me these German pancakes. Cafe Rio with friends on one of my last nights in Provo was memorable. The ride home with my little brother Patrick was rather great. He is the man and I will miss him dearly when he departs for Brazil in early August. Thanks Pat! You will do great.

This Is Embarassing

2010-04-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

I know. Having a blog and not updating it is like receiving a free dinner and not eating it. The purpose of this entry is twofold. First, to let all my people know what is going on in my life. Second, to write about what I am feeling at the moment. Since we have last gathered, my brother, Jeff, just recently returned from serving a church mission in Russia. He is doing well. He was accepted by BYU and will be joining me in Provo for the fall. He is working right now and saving up money. My littlest brother, Patrick, is the man. He loves dancing. He is in a dance club, called Club Style. Hip hop is their game. He recently had an end of the year showcase where they performed all of the dances they learned over the course of two semesters. My parents and brother came down to watch. It was amazing to say the least. Dancing is a skill I was not born with and am incapable of developing. Pat is my idol when it comes to dancing. Also when my parents were down here we ate. My mother makes the greatest tacos on the planet. The hotel where they stayed had a small kitchen. Because of the great love my mother has for me, she made me her tacos. I invited my friends Lindsay and Dan over and they enjoyed the company of my family and the taste of the tacos.

My friend Megan had a birthday late in March. My friends Lindsey and Angie helped out and we made homemade pizza and cake. We also blindfolded Megan and took her to this comedy show thing. It was pretty good. It was funny seeing her walk around with the blindfold on. She was a little hesitant to walk normally. We laughed.

I can't think of anything that went on after I last wrote. I am getting ready to go to Seattle for the summer to work with the Flourishing Family Project. I am eager and excited to go and interview the families and help the research. I too am ready to have fun there. It will be a great learning experience and will provide me with time to do things I want to do for myself. My goals are to read a lot, especially about psychology and to familiarize myself more with the psychological language.

Lastly, I want to become a better writer. This will require a lot of diligence. I want to write more on this blog and use it to help me improve my writing. I am looking forward to writing more and for you to enjoy what is going on in my life.

Food Update

2010-02-13T14:13:00.001-08:00

My sweet mother purchased plane tickets for my brother Pat and I to come home for the long weekend. My other brother, Jeff, just returned last week from serving a mission in Russia, and he speaks in church this Sunday. I am excited and glad to see my brother for the first time in two years. Mom's home cooking is the true reason I am happy to be home. Food from mom is close to the heart. After arriving yesterday afternoon, we all went out to get hamburgers and fries at one of our favorite places, Dlish. O relished the experience. I was just preparing for what would come later that night. The first thing I did when I walked through the front door was to open the fridge. To my amazement, leftovers remained! I was on such a food high. We made our traditional trip to Walmart and I picked out a food item for myself. Girl Scout Mint Cookies Ice Cream. I had waited for over a year to try this. The day arrived. As I ate it later that evening, I understood there existed so much hype. My mom, who is the best mom in the planet, planned my favorite meal for this first night of being home. Tacos. Since I can remember drooling, fond memories are engraved in my mind of taco night. The tacos are so divine that I still believe they fell from heaven. I still have a few days left at home, and cannot wait to see what food their is in store for me...

Rude Neighbors

2010-01-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

A scripture from the New Testament has taken up much of my thoughts lately. The Lord, answering a question that was designed to stump him, commanded the inquirers to love their neighbor as themselves. How do we obey this commandment? First of all, this commandment implies that we first love ourselves. The commandment that preceded this one, that of loving The Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, helps us love ourselves. By loving God, we must come to know Him, better than we ever have before. As we come to love God, our relationship with him enhances. When we fully realize our relationship with our Heavenly Father and His infinite and profound love for us, we will not only love Him more, but consequently, ourselves more. As love for ourselves becomes part of our lives, loving our neighbor as ourselves will become rewarding. Loving others means putting their needs in front of our own, which is perfectly exemplified by the Savior in His life. I hope and wish I can make this model a part of my life and love my neighbors.

Sick and Happy

2010-01-29T14:32:00.000-08:00

I do not know many people who like being sick. I do not. However, this week, as I have been sick, I have also made the choice to be happy. I have seen friends who choose to be happy no matter their circumstances in life. I do not have the power or capability of controlling every situation in my life. All that I can control is my attitude and how I act each day. I am deciding to be positive and happy and optimistic. This will be hard for me, but it is a goal that I want to accomplish. I know it will make me a better person and will help me be a better friend to those around me. I am not the center of the universe and my choices will not change the world. I do know though, that my choices affect those that are close to me, the ones I care about. Choosing to be happy is the key to happiness.

Pizza, Hot Dog, Coke

2010-01-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

America is known as the great melting pot; a place where many people from various cultures come seeking to find and live "The American Dream." What defines America besides this notion of the melting pot? American food. At the heart and epicenter of American food are three things: Pizza, Hot Dogs, and Coke. These items create instant excitement for the soul. One of my favorite places to enjoy these three culinary masterpieces is at Costco. For under $4.00, a slice of pizza (either cheese, pepperoni, or combination), a hot dog (with all the works: ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, and sour kraut), and a crisp Coca Cola classic are available. Yesterday, my roommate Sam and I had the obligation to go and partake of this All-American Meal. Before doing so, we purchased a couple of essential items. As we waited in line to pay and then go and eat, a man, around the age of 50 or so, approached me. He unbashfully made his way towards me and just stared. Not knowing what to say, I just stood there, patiently. His mouth opened. "Oh you look just like someone I know, you look so familiar." I had never seen the man before. But learning from prior experience, I knew I had to talk to the man and didn't ignore him. I could only manage to say one thing. "I am and Abercrombie model, maybe you have seen me in one of their magazines." He said that was a possibility and then asked if my last name was Green. I assured him it was not and then, after staring at me a little longer, he left. Sam and I laughed about this experience while enjoying our pizza, hot dog, and coke.

Popcorn Falling From Heaven

2010-01-22T23:45:00.000-08:00

Are thoughts innate? Are we inherently born with certain abilities and talents? Philosophers have debated this subject to death for many centuries. I am convinced and know of one thing for certain: Popcorn was meant to be eaten and enjoyed during movies. I do not remember learning this fact or recall an experience where my parents enforced it in me. I have just always known. Now that this fact is established, it is known by all that popcorn can come in a variety of ways. Carmel Corn, Kettle Corn, Low-Fat Popcorn, Popcorn with M&M's, etc. I discovered an new flavor recently. My good friend Emma LOVES to cook. And in fact, she does an amazing job at it. Her cookies are... well let's just say words cannot do her cookies justice. She made White Chocolate Popcorn. Yes folks, White Chocolate Popcorn. Each kernel tasted as if it had fallen from heaven, being submerged in the most divine white chocolate, and then placed with love into a bowl for the consumer to enjoy. I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of Emma's mouth-watering treats. Thank you for all of them, and especially for the popcorn from heaven.

Laker Struggles

2010-01-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Kobe vs. LeBron. This battle grabs the attention of all NBA fans whenever the Cavs and the Lakers play each other. Last night was no exception. The Lakers own the best record in the league. The Cavs, the best record in the Eastern Conference. Not only do these kinds of regular season games have a playoff aura about them, they also provide bragging rights for the winning team. Of late, Kobe Bryant is his broken finger on his right hand have been worrying me. Yes he is one of the hardest if not the hardest worker in the NBA. Yes he prepares so well for each and every game. This finger though has been hampering him and it is overly noticeable that it should be driving any true Lakers fan insane. It is bothering him. I do not care what he says. What else can he do though? Taking the rest of the season off is out of the question. I know he is practicing enough. Maybe take less shots and try and get the teammates involved more and make them look better. I am no genius. I just know that I can see the struggles the Lakers are facing,, and hope they can adjust. I know Kobe will.

Jesse Cake

2010-01-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

Food has always been one of my greatest strengths (hence the size of my stomach). I will eat almost anything that is placed before me. This past weekend when accompanied my friends to Vernal, we ate extremely well. One of my favorite foods during that trip was the cake(s). I enjoyed a to die for mouth watering cake with divine frosting. With this cake, and for that matter, any cake, I found only one way to truly eat it. Only using hands, hands that were specially built for eating. This weekend, we stayed up late, like 4:00 am late. At around roughly 2:00 am, we (my friends Adam, Hannah, and I) grew an appetite. This cake was left out on the counter, sitting there, just tempting us, daring us to partake of its goodness. I cannot back down from a challenge. Without even thinking, I reached down with my hands and dug in, like a man. I felt so warm and fuzzy inside. Adam and Hannah watched for a second, then irrupted into laughter. I guess they found my method of eating cake entertaining. Fast forward to today. I was over at Hannah's apartment, talking and enjoying the company. 11:30 rolls around and I start packing my stuff to depart for the evening. The door opens. Adam and Hannah walk through the door. They do not come alone however. With them is a dish, a cake dish. As it is lowered, the words "Jesse Cake" come apparent to my sight. They made me a cake. This thoughtful and kind act touched my heart. They are great friends to me and this cake sealed the friendship solid. We all know the real reason though that they made this cake. To see me it with my hands. I dove right in, just as I had in Vernal. Adam, with his unmistakable laugh, let out a good one. It was a great evening. One of the best I have had in a while. I owe it all to my friends Adam and Hannah, and to the Jesse Cake.

Milk does do the body good

2010-01-20T09:02:00.001-08:00

Ever since the beginning of time (okay, the beginning of my life), I have loved milk. I put it in cereal as most people do, I drank it with cookies, and I even drank a nice, cold (or warm, if it was winter-time) glass whenever I felt like it. Milk was my thing. I was the milk drinker in my family. My parents and brothers did not become as good of friends with milk as I did. I grew up on 2% milk. That is what I grew up knowing and loving. A few dark periods in my life included my father purchasing powdered milk in an attempt to help us save money. He realized that after two months of absolutely nobody drinking milk, it was time to go back to 2%. I was fortunate enough to have my older brother with my first semester back at the university. His advice as been invaluable to me. He told me one day that I was too fat and needed to switch to skim milk. I followed his direction, and willingly switched. The only time I have deviated from this new lifestyle, is when I am in someone's home where they serve me whatever kind they have. This trend has continued to happen until last night. My roommate Sam and I went to the grocery store to pick up a few items. I had zero intention of purchasing anything. We ran into some newly formed friends; Ashley and Nikki. We started talking and the subject of milk became the center of our conversation. Nikki delightfully informed us she drank whole milk, and that that was the only true way of completely enjoying a milk experience. She had convinced me. I went over to the milk section, and without hesitation, snagged myself a gallon of whole milk. Ashley had other feelings. She mentioned how she drinks skim milk, and that she cannot even taste or notice a difference between whole milk and skim milk. Was she serious? I for sure thought she was joking with us. I extended a challenge to her. I would offer my whole milk if she would do a blindfolded experiment where she would try to decipher between whole milk and skim milk. We parted ways at the store, knowing full well that in a short moment we would soon reunite to participate in this milk challenge. Upon arriving home, Sam and I put away our groceries, leaving out the whole milk. We made our short yet long journey to Nikki and Ashley's apartment. We knew what we were going to be doing, but we had no clue how it would turn out. They were finishing up unpacking their groceries. We patiently waited with great anticipation. Nikki pulled out two glasses and we carefully filled them with the milk. One with skim milk, the other with whole milk. To make this experiment fair, we blindfolded Ashley. She knew nothing about which cup had which milk. As she drew the first cup towards her lips, and took a sip, she got a feeling for what it tasted like. She then drew the next cup to her mouth and drank. She went back and forth between the two cups, each time looking more and more confused. I looked on with astonishment. How could she not tell the difference?! With persistence, we asked her which was which. She raised the first glass and exclaimed, "This is the skim milk!" My jaw literally dropped. She picked the wrong one. I still cannot believe it. The moral of the story is that milk does the body good. Preferences will always be an integral part of life. The question is: what type of milk do you prefer?

Perfect Hostess

2010-01-16T23:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend an adventure was was had in Vernal, UT. Whenever someone comes into your home, you do your very best to make your visitors feel welcome and comfortable. I have been the beneficiary of many wonderful hosts and hostess's. My friend Zack, who resides in Vernal, invited some friends to stay at his place and have a weekend of fun. We made the journey and when we drove up to his I knew that I was going to be in for an amazing experience. We got settled in and starting making pizzas. No sight of his mom up to this point. As the pizzas finished cooking in the oven, she appeared. She genuinely asked for everyones name and about themselves. She remembered me as the guy with the deep voice. After enjoying the amazing pizza cuisine, cake and ice cream followed. I gladly helped myself to some ice cream, but held off on the cake for the moment. Later in the evening, around 3:00 am or so, I graciously inhaled 3 pieces of the most divine cake ever. The frosting was amazing. I realized, Zack's mom (as well as Zack cause he is a great host too) had done all of this work and preparation for us. I felt so at home and welcome. I did not want to leave. The next morning, more ingredients needed to be purchased at the grocery store. As she announced we would be going to Walmart, my insides became all warm. We went to Walmart! It was the best. Not to mention that before Walmart, she made the most heavenly tasting eggs that had ever touched my lips and tongue. She made ANOTHER cake, basically because she heard I had loved the first one so much. Lastly, she let me slide down her stairs on a sleeping bag, even though she knew I was a little too big for it. It was one of the better weekends I had in a while. There is not enough room to write or words to express the gratitude I have for the wonderful hostess I a was fortunate enough to meet this weekend. Thank you.

Damn Dishes

2010-01-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

The title "Damn Dishes" may offend some of my readers. I do not care. It is the only appropriate title for this post. Doing the dishes is a natural part of life. What happens when something gets dirty? You either (a) throw it away or (b) clean it up. When it comes to dishes, throwing them away is not the most economically friendly way to go, especially during times of recession. The other option we are left with is cleaning the dishes. This activity can be done in a variety of ways. Dishwashers are the most user friendly. Washing them by hand is another option, which is not the most popular but happens to be my favorite. Lastly, the "let other people do my dishes approach" is the most common way people (at least my roommates) do the dishes. I can admit, I am not perfect. I leave dishes out and do not clean them right away. But what I do do, is at least rinse them off. There have been times where my nostrils cannot bear the stench of the thick vapors rising from the sink. Sometimes it smells like a bad case of diarrhea. I am not even lying or over exaggerating. With this being the case, I printed out a sign this morning at school. It simply and eloquently reads: DO YOUR OWN DAMN DISHES.

Mean

2010-01-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

I do not ever intend to be mean to people. The words that so effortlessly run out of my mouth have the tendency though to not be nice. I was in the gym with my good friend Dan. We were waiting to play racquetball. As we were about to head into the locker room, a girl walking through the hall stopped an looked at me. She said, "hey, I recognize you from somewhere." I looked at her. Then, I looked even harder. I did not know who this girl was. I do not recall ever seeing her in my life. All I could say was, "um, I don't recognize you from anywhere or don't think I have ever seen you." With that, we departed ways, she heading down the hallway, and me into the locker room. My friend Dan just laughed and said it was hilarious what I had just done. I, on the other hand, realized how mean I had been and felt horrible about it. I am sorry to this girl. Next time, I will talk with you and see how we know each other. And to the rest of you out there that I have offended (for I know there are many), I am sorry. My goal is to only try and say nice things, even if the the mean things I say come as a joke. I am sorry.

weekend cinema overload

2010-01-10T00:01:00.001-08:00

Movies aren't everything. However, this weekend they were or seemed to be everything to me. And heck, I still have a full day Sunday to watch more movies if I desire. It started on Friday. I went over to eat dinner with my friends Melissa, Savannah, and Lynzi. We enjoyed these amazing tacos. After the grub, we went to red box and got a movie. Julie and Julia was the one Savannah picked out so that is the one we put in the dvd player. It was a fairly entertaining movie. It was funny and was about food; the two most important factors I judge a movie by. The movie ended; I departed. At 10:00 pm on a Friday evening, it was still pretty early. I went over to my friend Dan's apartment. He was talking on the phone while I walked in so I watched a little bit of the Cav's game. Shortly after 11:00, we decided our stomachs needed nourishment. Frozen pizza it was. Macy's was our destination. We carefully selected the "naturally rising" kind and headed home. With the pizza in the oven it was time to select our movie. Dan's roommates who had recently came home helped us pick out the perfect film. The Saint. It had been years since I had seen it and I vaguely remembered that I enjoyed it. Dan hadn't seen it. It was such a good film, much better than I thought. That night ended, only two movies. Today (well technically yesterday, but we will say today) I went with my roommate Sam to see Pan's Labyrinth in the International Cinema here at BYU. It was so captivating that I slept through the first hour. As I arose to watch the last hour, I became quite confused and disturbed at what I was witnessing. Luckily for me I guess, I only saw that one hour. Finally, I concluded the evening watching the hit movie, 500 Days of Summer. I watched it with my friends Lindsey and Megan. I had heard how great and amazing it was and was looking forward to confirm those notions. As I watched it, I realized why I sometimes do not like girls. And that in and of itself was enough for me to not like it. I was blessed with a great weekend of a variety of cinematic experiences. Even though I don't like every movie I see, it is good to see those movies every once and a while. I survived.

Amigos

2010-01-06T22:28:00.000-08:00

I have the best, nicest, coolest, and most reliable friends a man could ask for. Friends are truly hard to find. As the days, months, and years of life pass, so do people we meet. Even friends come and go. But the true friends that one encounters along the journey of life are ALWAYS there when you need them. That is what sets them apart from just friends. No matter what happens, true friends stay by your side and help you. That does not mean they agree with what you say or do, but they care for your general well-being. They care that you have a bad day or a good day. They want to hear and know and REMEMBER what you have to say. True friends know what to say and what not to say. They are there for you with an umbrella on rainy days and a place for shade on sunny days. Friends are there to laugh with you and to cry with you. Friends are their to make fun of you when the Lakers lose and when the Lakers win. My wish is to not find the best friends I can but to be the best friend I can be to all of those I come into contact with. It is not easy. People will reject and not always accept friendship. We must remember we cannot control that. All that we can control are our actions and the type of friend we can be. Thank you to all of my friends. I could mention specific names but you know who you are. Thank you.

Two Thousand and Nine

2010-01-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Looking back on this past year, 2009, I have many great memories. Many great friends were made, wonderful experiences were had, and amazing food was eaten. These memories are part now part of my life and have shaped me during the year to be who I am. It is only appropriate to remember the experiences that were dear to me. My 2009 highlights are:

1. My Birthday. February 4. It was one of the most memorable birthdays of mine. On my birthday, my parents got pizza for me and a few friends and I opened some gifts. Many High School Musical gifts. Later that week, my great friends, Dan and Savannah, threw a birthday party. My friends came and showed support. They got me a High School Musical Cake! It was a blast. It made me realize even more how awesome my friends are and how much they mean to me.

2. April 2009. My older brother, Jason, graduated from BYU this year. Our whole family, My parents, my little brother, my grandparents, and my aunt Sandee, all came down to participate in the festivities. We ate well and enjoyed the time being together. The main reason though this is one of my highlights, is because I went to my very first NBA game. The Los Angeles Lakers, my team, were already up two games to zero on the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs. I got tickets to game and went with my dad, my grandpa, and my good friend Tom. I witnessed a yelling match between two fans who had been drinking too much. I witness some great basketball. Sadly, for me, the Lakers lost, and Kobe shot very poorly. The Lakers did win the series though, and eventually, the NBA Finals.

3. Summer Work 2009. This is a broad memory but a very dear one to me. I was fortunate enough to have a job over the summer. I worked with a company called PAML. It is a medical laboratory located in my hometown of Spokane. The first and most important reason why this is such a great memory for the year is because of the people I met. The first night on the job, I was received warmly and felt great about the people and their genuine kindness towards me and others. They have truly made me a better, more kind and caring person. Many meaningful friendships were formed with my fellow employees. Stories and laughs were shared. Sickness and trials were inevitable. Late night runs to Seven Eleven and Jack in the Box were frequent. Overall, times were good and I continue to keep in contact with my new friends.

4. Mariners Games. At the beginning and end of the summer, I was able to go to Seattle and enjoy the wonder of Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. The first game, was against my team, the Boston Red Sox. It was a great game, with Ichiro hitting two home runs and the Mariners came out victorious. The next game, was against the heavy hitting Bronx Bombers. The Mariners had no chance. And they lost. I love baseball and enjoy a game at the ballpark. The first game I had a huge plate of nachos thanks to Dr. Phil, and the second game I downed not one, but two helpings of garlic fries, the greatest ballgame food known to man. I love baseball and I love food.

5. Tucanos. This place is also known as heaven on earth. I have lost count how many times I have gone but every time I am fortunate enough to go, I leave an extremely happy man. The year 2009 was not as good to me as my friend Dan in respect to Tucanos. He went numerous times, including TWICE for his birthday. Despite is fortune, I am still grateful for Tucanos and the opportunities given me to go. The garlic sirloin is divine and will always have a special place in my heart and stomach.

6. Turkey Day. I decided not to make the trip home for Thanksgiving. My roommate, Samuel Carl White Jr., and his family, graciously invited me over to enjoy this day with them. I didn't watch any football (even though they offered) but I did play basketball with his entire family for about three hours. I had a blast playing and being with a family. The food was amazing as well. I did not eat enough to induce a heart attack, but I had my fair share. I am grateful for them and their hospitality.

?. True Love. December 19. No, not for me, but for two of my roommates. Matt and Bob got engaged on the same day and then married on the same day, one right after another. I attended both receptions, both of which were beautiful. They both provided great food (Matt's with amazing wraps and Bob's with tasty deserts) and fun entertainment. I also was an active participant in the pre-wedding games, Matthew's bachelors party.

Sadly, I have not been able to do justice to 2009. Events, activities, parties, and memories have been left out, but have not left my heart and mind. Looking forward to this year, I hope it is the best year for all of us and that we realize that only we can make it great. The hard times will come in 2010, but how we decided to react will determine the type of year we have. May Christ be the center of our year and our lives, is my hope for this new year.

the power of words

2009-11-29T19:25:00.000-08:00

communication is a vital component of life. normally, communication is composed of both "verbal" and "nonverbal" communication. separately, each component is crucial in the success of a conversation. recently, i have been thinking about words, the power they have have, and the power individuals have in speaking with words. words are often spoken without thought, yet remembered so well. the words we say, how we say them, when we say them, and why we say them are all factors that should be taken into serious consideration. i am guilty of speaking without thinking. words cannot be taken back, they become part of who we are. people remember us for what we say. as i have pondered this, i have come to the realization that i must take extreme care in my manner of speech. mouths that praise are the same mouths that condemn and speak harsh, cutting words. the power that words carry is underestimated. what can we do? first, realize that everyone is a son or daughter of God. a brother or sister of ours. He loves each of His children, we should follow this example. Before we speak, let us think of how we can edify those to whom we are addressing. jeffrey r. holland of the quorum of the twelve apostles gives great advice and encouragement. his talk is entitled the tongue of angels. i highly encourage everyone to read and ponder and practice what he counsels. i know i have benefited from his remarks and i know i must continue to speak with the tongue of angels.

to read jeffrey r. holland's talk, click on the link below:

The Tongue of Angels by Jeffrey R. Holland

life update

2009-11-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

i have not posted anything in a while and since i have so many avid readers i have decided to let it all out. school is going great, i am enjoying my classes and am learning in them. the time has nearly arrived where i should be stressing about the final projects and final exams. things shouldn't be too bad though, i will get caught up during thanksgiving break. one exciting piece of news is that i applied for and was accepted to participate this summer in the flourishing families project. i will be in seattle all summer, helping a professor with research or something like that. i am not aware of all the details, but i will learn more as the time gets closer. for those who did not know, i am a psychology major and just declared myself as such this semester. my halloween was splendid. I dressed up as an undercover cop. actually i didn't really dress up, i simply put handcuffs in my pockets and when people asked what i was i pulled them out and told them i was an undercover cop. i went to a couple of corn mazes, both scary and normal. i only peed my pants three times. on one of the adventures, we had to go through the back of an abandoned school bus as a insane man with a chainsaw chased us. i also carved a kobe pumpkin and it was stolen within hours of being placed outdoors. i guess i did such a great job that someone admired it and decided it would look better on their doorstep. i learned recently that only one space is needed after a period in a sentence. i was shocked, surprised, and amazed. just think of the space that can be saved by eliminating one space after each sentence. i have continued to hone my guitarhero/rockband skills and i am slowly improving. i found out that my little brother, who is serving a church mission in st. petersburg, russia, is coming home on my birthday. i haven't lost any weight as i normally do while i am away at school. in fact, i feel (and the scale indicates) that i have actually gained weight. i recently (as in this past weekend) took part in a talent show. a video that i played a role in was played, i organized/participated in a model runway thing. and i also interpretively acted out the song "creep" by radiohead while a friend played it on the guitar and sang. my friends savannah and melissa surprised me by showing up and also brought my little brother. my bff dan was there to help out even though he was not obligated to be. i was involved in dancesport, an event here at byu where every dance that is taught is preformed in the form of a competition. i was forced to be in it because i am in a country western dance. it was fun and i even dressed up and looked amazing. i went and saw new moon on the opening night. it was fun to go with the group i was in but the movie wasn't as good as i had expected. the first one made me laugh so much. i also saw an amazing movie, the blind side, about the pro football player michael oher. it was so good. i recommend it to anyone and everyone. things are going well for me. i am grateful for all i have been blessed with, for i have truly been given much more than i deserve.

The NBA: Where Happiness Happens

2009-10-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Baseball is my favorite sport. Unfortunately and sadly, America's team, the Boston Red Sox, did not advance to or win the World Series. That can only mean one thing, the NBA season is about to commence. I get so excited at the beginning of the NBA Season. This season is no different. My excitement seems to be even greater than normal this year. The many story lines that flood the NBA are what I will be watching for as the season tips off and progresses along. The stories I will be watching for this NBA season (in order of importance):

1. The Lakers. I am not playing favorites... who am I kidding of course I am. Kobe, Pau, Lamar, Mr. Artest, and Adam Morrison. Are you kidding? The Lake Show is going to be so fun. Kobe is as eager as ever to get his fifth, one closer to MJ. Morrison is looking to play. Ron Ron wants is physical presence felt. Amazing is all I can say.

2. Kevin Durant. This kid is absolutely sick. If he only played better defense (try asking Carlos Boozer for some advice) he would be MVP. He can shoot from anywhere, and when I say anywhere I do mean anywhere on the court he wants. He was raised to play on the hardwood. With him and his fellow young teammates, the Thunder are going to be fun to watch.

3. San Antonio. Mr. Tim Duncun is still the Big Fundamental. He doesn't have many years left, he wants another ring. With his supporting cast, they are one of if not the favorites to take it all. Jefferson is going to have a monster year and provide relief from Duncan, Parker, and good old Manu.

4. D Wade. He is so good. He is getting stronger and faster and will put up sick numbers this year. MVP race is going to be fun to watch.

5. Ricky Rubio. The Minnesota Timberwolves have the Spanish wizard and Mr Flynn in the backco..... oh wait, never mind.

6. AI. What will the Answer be this year?

The list could continue forever. Please enjoy the season. My take: Lakers over Celtics in 6.

eye opener

2009-10-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

life's journey makes life itself worth living. happiness, joy, and excitement along with sadness, pain, and suffering are some of the natural consequences of being on this journey. we are able to control some situations while with others we are are only able to control how we act. an experience i had this week was a real eye opener to me and a testimony of how i should be acting in situations i cannot control. i was walking on campus, as i always do, and i was experiencing pain in my leg. as i continued walking, the pain remained. the pain i felt was something i could not control, i could only control my attitude and how i would handle the situation. thoughts such as, "why me" or "why now" came into my mind. the pain was not excruciating; however, it did hurt enough to merit my attention. i just wanted to walk to my class without having any pain. is that too much to ask? as i continued on my way, i glanced over to the right, and what i saw caught my full attention. a girl was walking. she walked different than most people. it almost seemed as if she was just about to the point where she needed a wheelchair, but she did not have one. in my perspective, each step was taken slowly, with much care and attention. i stood there, ashamed of my prior attitude. here i was, complaining about a little pain i was having, and this girl, who was very physically handicapped, was probably making her journey to a class. i realized how ungrateful i was for what my Heavenly Father has blessed me with. i was taking for granted not only the amazing blessing of a physical body, but also the fact of experiencing the pains of life. in the situations where i can only control my attitude, i have learned that gratefulness and thankfulness to a loving Heavenly Father is the best and the most proper way to act. i am truly grateful and blessed for this eye opening experience. it has helped me become a better person, which is ultimately, what i want to become.

kids these days

2009-09-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

technology is not my friend. we seem to not get along. the first time i used the new microsoft word and tried to print, i couldn't. the girl at school sitting next to me advised me to push "big button" then print. i felt depressed. now the new thing for kids these days is rockband/guitar hero. it is a video game where a group of people play different instruments (guitar, bass, drums and vocals) to songs both new and old. i have never played any type of musical instrument before so i had a feeling this game would be hard. as i started to play the guitar i found it extremely hard to coordinate the strumming and the pushing of my finger on the different colored squares. i lost every time and whoever i played with grew angry with me for losing. next came the drums. this was one of the hardest things i have ever done. trying to play on five (four with rockband) different colors with the sticks and use a peddle is challenging. every time i get off the drums sweet is profusely running down my entire being. my right leg aches and feels like it has been injected with 3,234 needles. after the night is over i feel exhausted but my satisfaction is high. i feel accomplished. i also feel down because i see many different people that have mastered the technique of rockband/guitar hero. they are so good at something that should be so simple, yet i struggle with it. the kids these days are really something special.

crazy day at the pool

2009-09-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

i am not a pool (swimming kind) junkie by any means. i do enjoy going though every once in a while. we had an activity in my church where they rented out this pool that had a couple of slides, an adult area, diving boards, a little lazy river, and a kid area. even though my roommates did not want to stay and play, i did. i brought my swim trunks, excited to have a legitimate reason to take off my shirt in public. due to the fact that my rude roommates left me i was there by hanging out by myself for a little bit. i will be the first to admit that i looked like somewhat of a creep just roaming around the pool all by myself. i had to do something. the slides were calling my name, so i made the journey up the stairs. when i got to the top i noticed that i had some belly button lint lingering in my belly button. i quickly and discretely picked it out and flicked it. as i watched it fly away, i noticed the wind caught it and strategically placed it on a random girl. i turned my head and pretended nothing happened. one little piece of lint isn't going to hurt anybody. after this belly button lint adventure i saw some friends and joined them. we had a blast. we went down the slides and then went to the water-dropping buckets. the buckets were high in the air and were different colors. they would randomly drop water down and what we did was try and be the one under the bucket when the water fell. it was entertaining. next came the umbrella, where a continuous stream of water came down. as we were enjoying ourselves, a little monster (girl) came and tried to tag us or get us. she was probably eight or so. we entertained her for a while and had some fun. as i was taking a breather, i felt this hard punch on my leg, as if a jellyfish had stung me. i looked down and low and behold this little devil child was laughing. that was it. i had had enough. i started splashing her with water and took no regard for human life. we grew sick of this little girl so we decided it was time to join the big people pool and go diving. this girl was like velcro, she followed us there. i was in the pool and this kid pushed in my friend erin. the demon child then spoke, "that kid is stupid, and kinda cute." after she pronounced those words i saw it is my opportunity to get rid of her. i started chanting "someones got a crush" over and over again. she strapped on her goggles and informed us that her dad is the bishop over all these people. as she left i felt terrified and come to find out they came looking for me but i had gone to ride the slides one last time. if he had caught me that night, i might not have been alive to write this piece. after that all went down, it was time to go home. i got a ride home from melissa, erin, and ashley. this girl had asked them if she could get a ride home too because the people she had gone with had already ditched her. melissa, being the nice girl that she is politely said she could. this new girl sat in the back, in the middle, right next to me. as we pulled out of the parking lot, some boys waved and of course all the girls i was riding with started to comment about how cute they were. this girl next to me opened her mouth and started to casually speak; "i couldn't get a guy to talk to me here even if i flashed him." i was shocked and felt a little uncomfortable. i scooted away from her slightly and was speechless. that was the weirdest car trip home i had ever experienced and was grateful that it quickly came to an end. i had one memorable evening at the pool.

the "d" word

2009-09-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

in my opinion, life needs be only summed up by one word: decisions. life is all about the individual making various decisions, no matter what it be about. what time to wake up, what to wear, what to eat, what to say, along with an infinite number of other decisions. it may also be viewed as what not to wear, eat, or say. we may feel that just one decision made in bad taste or without completely thinking it through may ruin us. or we may be so delighted by one decision that we think we are on top of the world. for me, decision making is tough. i have come to realize though that i am the one who makes it difficult. my best advice for myself would be to just do what i feel is right and not think about it so much. taking time to ponder about what choices we are going to make isn't a bad thing, but i believe too much of it may lead to ultimately not making the best possible choice. all i can hope and strive for is to attempt to do the right no matter what, and if i base my decisions on that, i can never go wrong.

summer 09 learning

2009-08-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

i was at home in spokane, washington the entire summer break. there are not too many words capable of describing the experiences i had (the truth is at the moment i cannot come up with any words to describe it). with each new day comes new experiences and with new experiences come new lessons learned and with new lessons learned come knowledge. what we do with each day, experience, lessons learned, and knowledge is up to us. i was fortunate enough to have many wonderful days, experiences, and lessons learned. the result of these was knowledge. i will share the most important pieces of knowledge i was able to learn this summer of 2009

- true and genuine kindness cannot be replaced by anything. kindness comes from the inside and then expands outward. when one becomes kind, he/she embraces everyone and everything chooses to be positive, no matter what.

- family is everything. friends, even best friends (or bffs for those of you who understand that) come and go and my not always be there for you, your family is though.

- less really is more. i noticed that the less i talked when i wasn't necessary (which most of the time it wasn't necessary) things were better not only for me but for those around me.

- the savior and redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ, does know me and what i am going through and is the only one that can completely and fully help me no matter what i am dealing with as long as i turn fully to Him and rely solely on Him. making Him number one in my life is hard, but extremely worth every second of it.

PAML

2009-08-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

i was given the blessing and privilege to be employed this summer by a wonderful company called PAML (providence associates medical laboratories). it is a medical laboratory where specimens are sent to and tested. i worked in the accessioning department from 10pm to 6am, monday thru friday. yeah i know sounds like sucky hours and they were rough. i mean my nights were shot except for saturday and sunday, but it was difficult to adjust my sleeping just for the weekend. i quickly became accustomed to the hours and was working like a mad man. i love being myself no matter where i am, i just take a little bit of a transition time (normally just a day) to see who the people are i am associating with. i remember the first night was long and i was really tired. the most distinct and vivid thing i remember though was how genuinely nice and helpful everyone, and i mean everyone, was from the get go. they were so willing to help me with anything and everything i needed and more. that is the biggest lesson i learned and hope to implement in my life is to be a nice person on the inside and make it show on the outside with my actions. i made many great friends that i hope to keep in contact with them. there was tony "two-face" dent. he was quiet yet witty and made me laugh with the simplest yet silliest things. tony and i spent our lunches together until he got hired in another department and started working days. eric "tall man" hansen didn't talk too much when i first got there. when tony left, eric and i became lunch buddies. he started to talk more and then things just got outrageous. he was so random and came up with the most ridiculous and bizarre conversations. i just laughed my head off every single night. his singing of "right round" and remix of "fire burning" were hysterical moments that seemed to lighten the stresses that work would cause. the blitz twins were just crazy. first, meagan. she was an extremely hard worker who didn't quite until the job was done. and she has one of the top 5 best laughs i have ever experienced in my life. when eric would get going, she would laugh and laugh and laugh, and never stop. she was also always blamed for making others sick because that was her special, magical power. her sidekick and partner in crime, amber "ambar mendez" were always together. when they weren't i was worried. amber was the one we could count on to make fun of someone in just the normal everyday conversation. i would be saying something serious and she would just make me look like a fool. it made me feel good though. those two, meagan and amber, would also spend many lunches with eric and we caught them stretching on the elevator one day, it was creepy but fun. stacey "patty cakes" did the same thing as i did during a lot of my tenure at paml. she would laugh and talk very loud, as if she had an amplifier always with her. i am not saying that as a bad thing, that is who she was and i wouldn't have wanted it any other way. she was willing to do anything to get the job done. scott "golden stallion" was a character. his laugh was so funny and made my day if i was having a bad one. he was the proud owner of a grocery store, hotel chain, along with many other successful businesses. finally there was k. k was the trainer who helped every newcomer and those learning new things the 411 on what was going down. he was friends with everyone and was always willing to listen to whomever had a question (although i rarely asked him anything). there are many people that i am forgetting and that doesn't mean i forgot about them or didn't learn something from them. i have a positive memory from everyone i worked with and am grateful for what i learned from each and every one of them. now for some pictures! if there are some below this it means i have gotten it to work and if not then i still need to learn how to use a computer.

our "exercise" room

where the lab coats hang

eric, amber, and meagan hard at work

anna, angie and i

eric being creepy while amber eats a taco

k with the camera all to himself

green shirt thursday!

strechy pants taco thursday

deb and i at pizzafest 2009

tony dent and i on my last day

Hairbows

2009-08-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

One of my BFFs, Tom has a wife. Her name is Marci. She makes and sells these wonderfully and exquisitly hand crafted hairbows. The website can be found by clicking here and I will also add a link on the side of my blog. She is very talented, take a look.

seattle

2009-08-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

weekends are meant to be the best part of the week. this weekend was no exception. it was one of the better ones in recent memory. even though i work fridays i have come to love the people i work with because they radiate awesomeness. after work at 6 am on saturday a bunch of us took a little adventure to perkins and had ourselves a breakfast treat. i had this steak and mushroom omelet and it was delicious. too bad i was a dummy and forgot my camera. i will take it to work though next week so i can get some photos with the PAML gang. some of the highlights included eric ordering his "eggs benidict, classic please" as well as my wallet magically disappearing. the company, conversation, and laughter made the morning one to remember. when i got home i showered and slept a little and when i arose we headed off. my dad, mom and brother patrick all made the trip. the plan was for my dad and i do go to the game and patrick and my mom to shop and eat and do whatever else they wanted. what i remember on the way there was me falling asleep to taylor swift. when i arose we stopped and got my mom a coke at mcdonalds (surprise, surprise) and decided to eat. since we have great taste we didn't even think of eating at mcdonalds, that would have been a disgrace. we decided to go next door to jack in the box to arouse our taste buds. this jack in the box made the entire trip worth while, even more than the ballgame. when we walked in the first thing i saw was this huge machine that looked like a redbox. that is cool you can get a movie in the jack in the box. but wait.... it was a touch screen device that replaces people taking your order. i was in awe, speechless. it was so rad and i don't even know why. so after drooling over that of a couple of minutes i had my tacos in hand and was a content man. we ate, then left. our hotel was our next destination. we got there a little after 4 and checked in. it was a pretty nice place, the hilton, located in renton. after dropping our stuff off and getting dressed for the game we departed. my mother took us to the newly built light rail station where we got our tickets and got on. the ride was nice, we made some new friends who were visiting from out of town and were looking to go have fun in downtown seattle. we were dropped off about 4 blocks from the stadium. we made our way and finally got there. we sat in center field. i had never sat there before so it was interesting to get a new perspective. we got there about an hour before first pitch and saw a little bit of batting practice and then made our way around the stadium to see some sights. we got settled in before the game started and were ready for the show from the bronx bombers. the game was fun, even though the mariners lost in the end. i was sad though because i like seeing good starting pitching and the two starters were no namers. oh well. we saw ichiro make a great catch in right and we saw griffey and arod together at third base. there is nothing better than being at the ballpark. i had to partake of 2 sets of garlic fries, i was willing to do it though, no matter the sacrifice my stomach had to make. i am convinced that garlic fries were sent directly from heaven. after the game got over and the yanks won, we headed back to the light rail. but before we did my dad bought two hot dogs outside the stadium. when we got to the hotel, i ate some leftover salad my mom had got and then settled down by watching the food network until my eyelids shut. the morning provided great eats. the hotel had this breakfast where they had the buffet, which included eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, fruit, cereal, muffins, and more but i am too tired to list the rest of them off. they also had a personal cook that would make you an omelet, waffles, pancakes, and french toast. i had a tough decision to make, but i knew it had to be made. i contemplated and finally made my decision, french toast. it was so good and filled my stomach. after breakfast we decided that we had accomplished everything we had gone there for so we gathered our belongings and headed out. the way home was much like the way there, just backwards. i was glad to get home even though it was a great weekend. i like my bed, food from home, and toilet. this weekend was truly one to never forget.

everyone happy to be at jack in the box

we didn't even have to order from a real person!

waiting in line to use the recently built light rail

before boarding the light rail

safeco field as we are walking to the game

me (obviously) at the game (obviously)

this cool looking wall at the ballpark

ken griffey jr on third base and gay-rod/a-fraud/a-rod playing third, it is kinda hard to see

scottie and i met up and he owed me garlic fries! (only cause the yankees were winning)

the yanks celebrating the victory

10 - zero dropped tacos = eternal happiness

2009-08-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

there is nothing as heart breaking as ordering something and not finishing it. i felt that pain a few weeks back when i dropped that one taco and wasn't able to complete my ten tacos. i had an inner desire and drive to redeem myself and eat ten tacos, no more, no less. eric and i made our late evening journey to jack in the box. i knew all along i was going to get the ten tacos, but i purposefully didn't outwardly express it. this was an internal struggle that only i could deal with. as we got to the drive thru eric was set on his usual #6 combo with large curly fries and large dr pepper. as nolan (who now works there and took over shane's position as we found out the week before because he got fired) asked if there was anything else i politely asked if they had tacos. he gave the affirmative. i then asked for ten tacos and he was quiet and then stuttered back "uh te-ten tacos? okay" i also added a small order of the jalepeno poppers for good measure and taste. i was waiting with such anticipation and excitement in that drive thru. once our food was given to us i sped off in the night. i ate my jalepeno poppers on the way back to work to help prepare myself for the taco massacre that was soon to occur. i sat down in the break room and ever so slowly and carefully took out the first taco and placed it in my mouth. it was divine. with each taco that followed i made sure that i had my hands on it so it couldn't escape. as i had my tenth taco in hand, my face was filled with ultimate joy. i did it. complete and total redemption was mine, and mine alone, and i felt like i had won something that day, although i wasn't competing against anyone else, i came out victorious.

my encounter with amniotic fluid

2009-08-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

thursday evening was the same as all the others. i left for work around 9:20, excited to see my co-workers and enjoy a wonderful evening at work. my mom was getting home that night from a business trip so i would see her in the morning. when i got to work i sat down in the break room and started reading the sports page as i almost always do. when eric walked in a made and attempt at a funny comment as usual and he just shook his head. as he sat down i noticed something different and so i asked him if he was okay. he said he had stuffed his face full of four hotdogs earlier in the day and he found out from his wife that they were extremely and disgustingly old. i laughed. we went and clocked in, grabbed our labcoats, and started setting everything up for the shift. a shift meeting was called just a couple minutes into our shift. this was extremely odd, being the first time i had every experienced one right as our shift started. normally we have weekly "midnight meetings" but this was a little unusual being right as we began work. jen, our manager, started the meeting by asking "does anybody know what amniotic fluid is?" she had stumpted me along with almost everyone else. deb raised her had and gave the answer and we all became a little more intelligent that day. jen explained how someone had messed up ordering the test and that the sample was missing. she was very passionate and adamant and descriptive. she explained the process of getting the amniotic fluid and the very large needle that was used and how dangerous it was for the baby and painful for the mother. i could feel my head become very light and i imagined someone sticking a huge needle in my stomach and the pain that it would cause. i was going to ask eric (who was seated in front of me) to let me sit and have him stand but i didn't want to interrupt the meeting. the next thing i remember is jen and deb on top of me asking me if i was diabetic or had some other problem and all i remember thinking is what were they doing here. i came to the realization that i had passed out. i was laying there, on the floor, in front of my co-workers. i told jen that i was okay and i started to laugh. they were all serious and asked me if they should have an ambulence come. i graciously declined their offer and said i would be alright. jen wasn't taking any chances and escorted me to the sick room. she called my mommy, who was at the airport just getting in, and had her come pick me up. she did not want me to drive home by myself after fainting. as we rode home i pulled the sympathy card out and had my mom get me an ice cream cone. i was a happy man for having just embarrased myself by fainting in front of everyone. i later found out that i had hit eric in the head and he had gone home (not because of me but because of those nasty hotdogs) and we both got out of work that evening. lets just say that that was my first, and hopefully last, encounter with amniotic fluid.

family reunion pictures....... finally

2009-07-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

thanks to tracy who did a wonderful job with the camera, i have some photos

the whole gang

eating at famous dave's

more eating

playing cards

the cousins and i

eight legged monsters from hell

2009-07-27T01:34:00.000-07:00

arachnophobia was the most horrific, intense and blood pressure raising movie i have ever witnessed with my own two eyes. i am completely and thoroughly convinced that spiders were created to torment and ruin innocent lives. that is what they have done to me and my life is in shambles because of it. it all began in the slums of my childhood bedroom. when i was a young boy my older brother jason and some of my friends decided to have a little fun at a sleepover knowing very well my extreme and utter i had for the eight legged monsters from hell. i was informed by these well educated youngsters that spiders are very particular about their nesting locations. they have a very unusual habitat; IN MY PILLOWS AND STUFFED ANIMALS! i will remind you that at the age i was i had 2 pillows (as i still do today) and i had numerous stuffed animals. timon and pumba were my very favorite ones. i became so distraught and terrified that i wasted zero time in tossing all of my stuffed animals in a large black plastic bag and hauling it to the trash. had i had the intelligence at that age which i enjoy now, i would have taken them out back and had a stuffed animal bon-fire. i gave my mother the pillows and told her to get rid of them as soon as possible. i slept withoug the comfort of my pillows and my timon and pumba for several months. i never again convirted back to stuffed animalism, i was deathly afraid that my face and body would be viciously attacked by baby spiders. nightmares haunted me as they occasonally do even today. whenever i see a spider my whole being is instantaneously filled with fear and horror and i start to get sick. i hate killing them for fear that i will miss and when i do they will call all their spider friends and inmediately implement the "attack jesse" phase of their evil and sinister scheme to take over the world. i was reminded of my deep hatred which constantly runs through my veins for these evil monsters the past two sundays. as patrick (my littlest brother) and i were enjoying "the next food network star" on television we were confronted and threatened by two enormous spiders. we are talking palm size spiders; shaquille o'neal palm size spiders. i am convinced that they made death threats as they scampered accross the carpet that so very well hides them. i didn't notice them either time, it was patrick's eagle eye that did the job. i owe my life to patrick and the service he preformed in my behalf by destroying the enemy. i was near death both times and was miraculously saved. my wish, hope, and dream is to power drop kick every spider that has, is, and ever will exist on this planet.

the underrated virtue

2009-07-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

in all of my 23 years of walking the earth there is one thing that i have not only seen but experienced. it is the lack of kindness shown by others to others. i know i sound like a hypocrite because i am unkind just as anybody else, but it is something i am trying to change in myself. i don't know why i am writing this because all you really need to do is read the talk the virtue of kindness by elder joseph b. wirthlin, but this topic has been on my mind lately. genuine kindness starts in the heart and is expressed by the way we live our lives. we can make judgments about others based on what we see or hear, or we can look at the example of our Savior Jesus Christ and be kind to everyone regardless of the circumstances we or they might be in. we can only control our own kindness and the way we treat others. my wish and hope is that i can become a kinder person each and every day and that others will see that and know that it comes from my heart.

the talk the virtue of kindness by elder wirthlin can be found at:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=5e518fbe352fe010VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

family reunions

2009-07-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

missoula, montana, home to the c'mon inn was the setting. family reunion was the plot. fun was the theme.
when i got off work saturday morning (about 5:30) my dad and i headed to missoula (about 6:40) to meet up with my mom and other family members from my grandma's side of the family. i did sleep on the way there which made me a little less tired when we actually got there. we always stay at the c'mon inn which has 6 hot tubs outside the rooms besides the one that is in by the pool. i did the hot tubs a favor though and stayed out of them. when we arrived we greeted with those we hadn't seen for a while and kind of sat and chatted for a little. we were rudely interruped by my mother playing right round by flo rida extremely loud while she was getting ready for the day. i forgave her for this and her and i snuck out to get some breakfeast. being the little eater that i am i only ordered 3 scrammbled eggs, hashbrowns, biscuts and gravy, roasted apples, grits, and a steak. i also had to finish off my mom's wheat toast, i am not going to let that go bad. we enjoyed this meal at crackerbarrel, there is one right next to our hotel. when we got back we chatted for a little bit longer, took our family photos, i dominated my grandma and ping pong and then some of them decided to hit up the fabric stores near by. while they did this the rest of us stayed and played cards. i was introduced to a new game, called "golf." it was really fun to play and shawn (my second cousin i believe) ended up creaming everyone in the end, it wasn't even close. it is like he was tiger woods (except for this weekend) and everybody else was some other golfer. after the game we all headed out to famous dave's for some good barbeque eatin. my parents and i shared a meal that they brought out in a garbage can lid. it had ribs, chicken, pork, corn on the cob, coleslaw, and baked beans. it was pretty good. i also was givin the awful task of finishing off my cousin andrew's ribs. i then went outside with my little cousins (although they aren't as little as they used to be) cecilia, andrew, and lexee. we played a good old fashion game of eye spy. we then said our goodbyes, gave hugs, shed tears and parted ways. it was a great family reunion even though i was only able to spend less than a day there. as we left we decided we must take advantage of the no tax in montana and got myself a couple pairs of jeans and shirts at old navy (well, angie got them for me, please don't tell pat.) another year, another family reunion, another good time with those we love and don't get to see all that often.

Three of my adorable cousins

oreo shake

2009-07-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

i recently described my horrific experience with my 9 tacos from jack in the box. i just got off work and was craving my favorite milkshake, an oreo one from jack in the box. so i went to the one downtown and i asked our friend shane if they had milkshakes at this time of day. of course they didn't and i felt obligated to get something since i was there in the drive thru. i ended up settling for 4 tacos (yes, even after the 9 taco debacle) and a large order of jalepeno poppers. once i got to the valley i still wanted my oreo shake. suspense grew as i arrived at the drive thru, i was both afraid and anxious. luckily the lady said they had the machine running but made my heart beat a little bit faster when she hesitated and said it just started and my be a while. i was growing a little angry but she came on the intercom and gave the glorious news that they indeed did have the mix ready to go and the machine ready. i just finished my shake and feel great.

10-1= 9 tacos

2009-07-17T04:01:00.000-07:00

i am at work on my break right now and thought there is no better time to blog. yesterday at work i went with eric (coworker) to jack and the box. he ordered his buffalo miniburgers and then when it was my turn to order i said proudly and confidently "and 10 tacos and a large order of curly fries." the voice from the order box hesitated and then finally said "okay." when we got back to work i was filling my face with my second taco and when i finished i pulled out the third. as i grabbed it and pulled it out it slipped from my hands in a slow motionesque way and fell to the floor. i sat stunned for a second then contemplated on whether i should eat it or not. eric reminded me that we do work in a medical laboratory and it would not be the best idea to eat, even though i was well under the 10 second rule. that night, after ordering 10 tacos, i only had 9, and still regret it to this day for not finishing that one.

blogging is harder than i thought

2009-07-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

so i am not technologically smart in any way. making this blog is like trying to understand physics when you are 4 years old. i want to make it look legit bu i have no idea how. i will just start messing around and see if i can come up with something.

first time blogger

2009-07-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

so i guess this is the "hip" thing to do now a days is to have a blog. i have no idea what i will use this blog for but maybe it will give me a space to write down what i think. i am not very good at taking a lot of pictures but maybe this will help me do that and post them on here. my spelling may also improve.